Jet lag can’t be THAT bad:
Issues Linked to Lack of Sleep
Blog Written by: Mark Bailey
I recently came back from a trip that was a 14-hour flight away… When I arrived, it took me maybe 2 days for my sleep schedule to adjust. When I came back, however, it took a whole week to recover from jetlag. Even when I was awake, I just felt like a zombie. I also had a soccer game the day after I got home, and when I played, I actually felt fine. But it then took a whole week for my muscles to recover.
Most people understand sleep is important, and we don’t willingly skip it when we don’t have to.
However, most people don’t understand just how much sleep directly affects our lives.
Sleep isn’t just a passive break– it’s actually a time for your mind and body to actively heal and recharge.
It’s common for many to forgo a few hours of sleep to meet a deadline or to stay up talking to someone. It won’t be a problem every once in a while, but knowing how much it affects your health can make you think twice.
The tricky part is, having a stressful day leads to difficulty sleeping at night, which leads to more problems during the day… and so on. Research shows that poor sleep makes stress worse, and ongoing stress disrupts sleep, creating a difficult cycle. Staying in this cycle for too long can lead to high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, insomnia, even Alzheimer’s, low testosterone, erectile dysfunction in men, and a shorter lifespan.
Low Testosterone, High Blood Pressure, Alzheimer’s, all linked to… Sleep
We can call the pressures of daily life–in a word–stress.
When we’re stressed, the body releases cortisol to keep alert.
This response is useful in emergencies, but harmful when stress is constant, like during tough work or with family pressures. Cortisol keeps the mind active when it should relax, reducing the deep rest needed for recovery. A study in The Journal of Neuroscience explains how chronic stress changes sleep patterns, making men wake often and feel less rested.
Work can strain our sleep schedules. Long hours, night shifts, or job insecurity can keep a man’s mind busy. Mental health stigma makes things harder – men are less likely to share their problems, letting anxiety build.
According to the American Psychological Association, untreated stress increases sleep issues by a third in men compared to women in 2022. Physical effects, like erectile dysfunction or low energy from lack of sleep, add to frustration.
Physical factors also play a role.
Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, interrupts breathing during sleep, waking men up and raising cortisol levels like they’re under threat.
Research in Sleep Medicine Reviews links sleep apnea with higher risks of high blood pressure and depression, noting it’s also more common in men due to physical traits. Midlife challenges, like demanding jobs or changing bodies with less testosterone, add to stress and sleep problems, draining energy and patience.
Poor quality of sleep is a common issue that disrupts lives every day and night. Insomnia, marked by trouble falling or staying asleep, affects an estimated 10-30% of adults globally, with around 10% experiencing chronic symptoms lasting months or more, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. That’s roughly 33 million people grappling with persistent sleeplessness, often tied to stress, anxiety, or medical conditions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also lists about one in three U.S. adults–over 100 million people–as falling short of the recommended seven hours a night.
Men, especially those juggling long work hours or night shifts, often lead this pack, with lifestyle releases like late-night screen time or caffeine cutting into rest. The Sleep Foundation’s data agrees, showing 35% of adults regularly clock under seven hours, a number that spikes in high-pressure groups like shift workers or parents.
It Only Takes a Few Simple Choices
Lifestyle choices are crucial.
Drinking alcohol to relax might feel good, but it harms REM sleep, which processes memory amongst some of the most important tenets of mental health. The REM cycle, short for Rapid Eye Movement, is a part of sleep where the brain and body is actively repairing itself. This cycle is also essential for regulating emotions and learning.
Caffeine, often used to fight tiredness, stays in the body and can delay sleep. Using screens late at night exposes the eyes to blue light, fooling the brain into seeing it as daytime.
Men’s Health Network suggests viewing sleep as essential to health, not a luxury.
Easier said than done, but still, it’s nothing superhuman.
How can we improve?
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, changes how the mind handles sleep and stress. For insomnia, CBT can change thoughts like “I can’t sleep,” to “I can’t wait to get some rest,” while for stress, it helps stop constant worrying. The Journal of Neuroscience study shows CBT improves sleep quality and deep sleep. CBT is easy to access through apps or short sessions, even for skeptics. Spotify and Apple Music have endless libraries of playlists to help you sleep, not to mention the many, many ASMR videos available.
Building a sleep-friendly routine matters too. Keeping a consistent bedtime helps align the body’s internal clock, easing stress.
Harvard Health recommends avoiding screens for a couple of hours before bed because blue light can delay melatonin, the sleep hormone. A cool, dark room and avoiding heavy late-night meals also support better sleep. For apnea sufferers, a CPAP machine can be very helpful, as it reduces cortisol spikes and stabilizes sleep. Sleep apnea is about 2 to 3 times more common in men than women, however men have been shown to respond to intervention more positively.
Exercise is both a stress reducer and sleep aid.
Activities like walking, weightlifting, or sports release energy and increase adenosine, a chemical promoting sleepiness. Doing this a few hours before sleep helps men fall asleep faster.
Sleep on it
The good news is that although bad sleep can be a negative feedback loop, starting a good routine helps keep a positive loop as well.
Good, quality sleep – at least 7 hours a night for men and 8 hours for women, every night, with deep REM cycles – improves heart health and circulation, lowers depression and anxiety, memory, problem solving, and reduces risk of life-long conditions like diabetes and obesity. This helps us manage stress much more effectively, thus allowing for better sleep again.
Maintaining a regular schedule helps us live longer, healthier lives.
